Freight car bulkhead



Aug, 23, 1938. H. .,f. LEE

FREIGHT CAR JULKHEAD Filed Sept. 29, 1956 |llllml|llllu||llll|llri..

... :illlm Patented Aug. 23, 1938 IUNITED STATES PATENT oEElCE Hubert J. Lee, San Jose, Calif. Application September 29, 1936, Serial No. 103,110

1 Claim.

In loading the common box car with crated merchandise it is common practice to load from both ends of the car toward the doors, and then build a bulkhead against each end load to hold it in place in transit. This building of bulkheads each time a car is loaded is highly objectionable for many reasons, chiefly because it is wasteful of material, time and labor.

It is one object of the present invention to provide bulkheads of the character indicated that are a permanent part of the equipment of a car and consequently eliminate waste of material.

Itis another object to provide means of the character indicated so constructed and arranged as to be quickly and easily moved into position, or removed therefrom, thereby conserving'both time and labor. Y

It is still another object to provide means of the character indicated that will be economical to manufacture, simple in form and construction, strong, durable, and highly efficient in its practical application.

In the drawing: y

Figure 1 is4 a vertical longitudinal section through a structure embodying my invention in position in a car.

Figure 2 is an elevation of onebulkhead wall, parts being broken away.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail illustration of the holder for the pocket lip.

' Figure 4 is anenlarged section through a joint in the bulkhead wall.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail illustration shoW- ing the method of mounting the spreaders on the bulkhead walls.

In the particular embodiment of vthe invention herein disclosed I show at I a pocket formed immediately under the roof of the car on one side of the doorway and extending back toward the end of the car as shown. This pocket is made by forming and mounting bars as 2 on the roof of the car indicated at 3. The front end of this pocket is open to receive the bulkhead Wall which is thrust into the pocket when not in use and drawn out of the pocket when needed.

To facilitate the handling of the wall in the pocket I hinge the forward part of the pocket enclosure at 4 and provide a spring catch 5 on the car ceiling to normally hold this lip portion of the pocket up as shown, but when the bulkhead is being inserted or removed from the pocket then the catch is operated to release the lipportion 6, permitting it to drop to the position shown in dotted lines at 1 and widening the mouth of the pocket.

In the present instance the bulkhead Wall 8 approximates the width of the pocket I and is made in three sections as indicated at A, B and C', the three sections being identical in every respect. i

Each section, as A, comprises a number of parallel upright channelirons as 9 having transversely disposed slats as Ill thereon and the sections being hinged together as at I2. On' the top of the section C are hinged bumper sections or parts as II, these parts closely approaching the ceiling of the car and limiting the vertical displacement of the wall when in use.

Due to this sectional formation of the wall the lip portion B of pocket I may be dropped and then the wall slid into the pocket, after which the lip 6 may be thrown up to engage catch 5. When the lip is dropped the wall 8 may be pulled out of the pocket and placed in a vertical position against the load as shown. 20

Each upright 9 on each section has a bracket as I3 hingedly mounted thereon as at I4,the base of the bracket seating in the channel iron on which it is mounted as shown in Figure 5. 'Ihe bracket I3 is tted with a screw jack as I5 at 25 I6, the bracket and jack folding over into the position shown in dotted lines at I'I when the wall is to be returned to pocket I.

All of the foregoing described structure is duplicated at la to I3 inclusive, the brackets I3a having sockets I8 formed therein to receive one end of jacks I5.

When the two bulkhead walls 8 and 8a are positioned as shown and the jacks I5 are likewise in place, then the jacks may be operated to .urge the walls 8 and Bw in opposite directions and place any required pressure upon the loads in the car and effectually prevent any displacement or disarrangement of the load regardless of how roughly the car may be handled.

While the hinges I2 permit the sections A, B and C to be bent in one direction so that the structure may be readily inserted in and removed from a pocket I,the adjacent ends' of the bars 9 will contact when the said sections are brought into a common plane thereby preventing their bending in the vopposite direction.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown and described but one specic embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination of a box can-opposed pockets 55 disposed below the car ceiling in parallel relation thereto and closely adjacent thereto, and extending transversely of the car substantially the Width of the ceiling, sectional and hingedly connected bulkhead Walls manually movable into and out of said pockets, collapsible brackets hingedly mounted on each Wall section, the brackets on one Wall section of one bulkhead being disposed opposite the brackets on the corresponding wall section of the other bulkhead so that spreading means may be operable between opposed brackets when the bulkheads are out of the pockets, spreading means operable between each two opposed brackets, and bumper elements associated with the`uppermost portions of the bulkheads in operable relation to the car ceiling.

HUBERT J. 

